Department of Public Works and Infrastructure minister Patricia de Lille says work is underway to develop both a new city and a ‘smart city’ for South Africa.<\/p>\n
Answering oral questions in parliament this week, de Lille said that the new city would be the first of its kind in South Africa since the democratic elections in 1994.<\/p>\n
This project is still in the early planning stages, and several studies will need to be completed before construction starts.<\/p>\n
“The framework is being developed through an intensive research and consultative process, which will then culminate in a strategic and action plan for a new democratic city in South Africa,” she said.<\/p>\n
“So far, we have set up the core project team and a reference group, and we have developed the terms of reference for the project. We will further set up a stakeholder, communications and research unit that will look at international best practices.”<\/p>\n
This unit will look at other countries and the models used for building new cities and towns, with both local and international scholars tapped to research the project.<\/p>\n
De Lille said that an investigation into land ownership will also take place so that a decision can be made on the best place to build this new city, with no official decision made on the location as yet.<\/p>\n
These processes are set to be completed by April 2022, after which a final report will be presented to the cabinet and the inter-ministerial committee.<\/p>\n
Following this, a proposal will go out to build this new city in an open and competitive procurement process, de Lille said.<\/p>\n
Lanseria smart city<\/strong><\/p>\n De Lille clarified that this project is separate from the new ‘smart city’ being developed close to the Lanseria airport in Gauteng.<\/p>\n She said this smart city is being headed up by the Gauteng provincial government and surrounding municipalities.<\/p>\n The Lanseria smart city development aims to create the first post-apartheid city in South Africa based on \u2018best practice\u2019 in urban sustainability and the smart city’s principles.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is to be inclusive of the broadly defined South African socio-economic spectrum and must stimulate a vibrant, mixed urban economy,\u201d the master plan states.<\/p>\n The city will be built surrounding the Lanseria International Airport, north of Johannesburg, in a project expected to take around 25 years to complete.<\/p>\n Sitting in the centre of the development, the airport will be the main economic driver for the city\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n Strong residential growth in the surrounding areas is expected, supported by improvements to existing roads in the area.<\/p>\n
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